Lifes Lessons

After all these years of Dr Phil being on TV and around on the Internet, the one thing that i always seem to remember him saying is:
You teach people how to treat you
This is so true and i totally understand how it can work and how it affects the relationships that you have in your life but what i don't seem to be able to grasp is how this applies to strangers that you may only meet once or twice in your life time. How can you teach them how to treat you? This is what i mean...

Scenario One - The company that i am currently working for offered me a permanent position at the salary that i was looking for back in January. So after working here for 7 months prior to this i was glad to finally have a secure job under my belt. Granted it was not the job that i was originally doing and it was not in the office that i was currently working in but i like a challenge and so stepped up to the plate - as they say. The thing is though, everyone in the company got a "Cost of Living" increase in their pay pack this month except me! And why you ask - because the company felt the need to add a clause into my contract which says that i am not entitled to a pay rise for 16 months! How do i deal with this?

Scenario Two - The hair salon at our gym has had an offer on this month for 50% off. So, last week i booked myself an appointment. I spent two hours at the salon, I have my hair high-lighted(half head) and then cut and blow dried. It comes time to pay and he says "£75 please". I just about fell over. I was expect to pay about £40 considering it should have been 50% off. Now something to add to this is that two weeks ago my mom went for a cut and was told that if the price is over £15 then it is considered 50% off so i felt that i was in the right to question this. All that i got is I'm sorry - the things we did to your hair are not included in the 50% off. They had already provided the service so i had no choice but to pay. Now i love the cut and i love the colour but i would never have paid £75 to get it. What do i do?

As my cut cost me an arm and a leg i thought that i had better show it off.

Here is a photo from Saturday - so a before shot....

Then this is a front view of the new cut and colour....
And of course a side view....
So as you can see it truly is lovely - i just feel a little ripped off about the price.

Take care everyone.

A Day full of Surprises

Yesterday was definitely a day full of surprises for me. Its not everyday that i get such blessings given to me so it was very much appreciated.

Let me begin the story by letting you all know that Monday night Stuart went out with his Cousin for a boys night out and ended up winning some or other game and came home with about £140 in his back pocket (well at least is how much he is telling me he won....lol). So Tuesday morning i wake up to find a £10 note rolled up and sitting in my key chain - "Just a little lunch money", he said. Then about 11 o clock i got a phone call to ask if there was anything in town i needed. I promptly replied with a few knitting supplies that i needed for my Summer Tunic. When i got home i found the following in a nice little pile. Some knitting pins, some knitting markers and two books - Stitch & Bitch and an accompanying design journal to go with it. His text message read - " What on earth is that book about - angry knitters or what??". I was laughing my ass off and this book is now fondly known as the Angry Knitters book.

Once i had made dinner and had a cup of tea i went upstairs to do some scrapping and look oh look what i found nicely perched on top of my keyboard.
Am i the luckiest girl or what!! Thank you honey for making me feel oh so special.

In other news, after the hours and hours that i spent knitting my Summer Tunic last week i ended up having to FROG it last night. Yup, i had to pull every stitch out and start again. It was so disappointing but it had to be done. This is my second attempt and hopefully it will go a lot better! My progress so far....
I just want to leave you with this quote - It hit my inbox a few days ago and it has just been on my mind so thought i would share......
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“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good,
which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”-Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

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Warwick Castle

This long weekend we decided to go and visit Warwick Castle. What a fantastic day we had. Even though the clouds were threatening to open at any moment they didn't - they actually held out all day and only started raining as we made our way back to the car. Take a look at some of the fantastic photos that we took.
Warwick castle

Jousting


At 3:30pm we were able to go and watch the Jousting at River Island. I think it lasted around 30-45 minutes and even though i was standing the entire time it was so entertaining that i hardly even noticed. The though that went into it, the preparation was amazing.

Winged Warriors

Before we went to watch the Jousting we actually stumbled upon another show that was taking place at 2:30pm. Winged Warriors. Its sounds courageous doesn't it? Once again it was amazing. The birds flew that low that their wings actually brushed the top of one of the ladies heads! What a beautiful sight.

Trebuchet

This one was more for Stuart than for me. They talked us through what happened when an army tried to siege a castle and the different ways that they would try, one of which was using the Trebuchet. Very interesting.

All in all we had a great day. We also went on a Ghost walk, down to the Dungeons and walked along the wall of the castle and up to the top towers.


I'm feeling well rested with a busy week a head - Have a great week everyone.

1+1+1

You know how you get those days where its just a normal everyday sort of day and then wham out of no where you get hit with something that leaves you feeling as if all around you your life is laying in pieces. You know that tonight you will be going to bed a different person. That is how i am feeling today. In pieces and not sure where to go.

While doing my daily web surfing i came across this challenge on Kal's blog and boy oh boy is it challenging me right where I am.
Tonight i might take some time to sit down and work on my letter. I have a lot that i want to say but not sure that it will actually form sensible sentences or make much of any sense to anyone else but me.

Last night i pulled out my yarn that i am using for my Summer Tunic and began to knit a swatch just to make sure that the combination of the yarn and the needles will keep the pattern at the same size. It does and i really like how it has turned out. Really looking forward to starting this Tunic.

That's all from me today. Hope you all have a good day.

Peace.

We GO together

So yesterday I needed a little Me time. A little down time to get some thoughts straight in my head and to play a little. So, i asked my manager if i could take half a days holiday - considering i was already at work. She said yes and I came home and spent about an hour and a half on my own listening to music and scrapping before Stuart came home. So much for my Me Time. Anyways.I don't get to scrap as much as i wish i could, I know all you scrappers are saying "Me Neither", but I really need to make more of an effort.

Here is my latest layout. It took me ages to hand cut those circles out but i think the effect is well worth the work. We Go Together is for the Pencillines challenge # 32 and One Little Word challenge # 1.
Ladies - If you are after a really good, funny film then i totally suggest you go to Blockbusters or the like and get yourself Hitch. Man this film was just so funny and so cute and such a nice watch. I know its been out for ages already but it has been one of those films that you would love to go watch but never actually get around to doing it. I am so going to lend this to my mom sometime!

On other TV news Greys Anatomy Season 3 Starts on Thursday night at 10PM on Living TV. Can everyone give me a "Yahoooooooo". I can's wait to watch this. Fin, Meredith - Meredith, McDreamy........I know who i would pick!

Tonight I am off to do Body Balance at the gym so no doubt tomorrow i will be aching again! Have a great day everyone.

Communication is Key

Communication is key to any relationship. This i have heard a hundred times by now and yet somehow i still battle to get this part of my relationships the way i feel it should be. Just because you have been with someone for a long time does not seem to make it any easier. Bearing your soul and opening yourself up to being totally vulnerable is not something i find that i can do with ease. It is not something that comes naturally to me and it is definitely not something that i like to do. Talking - who would have thought it could have so many complications. Today and going forward i am going to make a conscious effort to better my communication skills with those that i love. I am going to let down the walls that i seem to have up and let myself be vulnerable. I'm going to put myself out there, as scary as it feels, and give those around me a chance to show me that this can work. Lord, please give me the strength i need to do this courageously.

A full weekend ahead.

I'll admit it. I am one of those people who love to make lists. I have a list for my lists....lol. It drives me crazy sometimes and i even sometimes wish that i was not this way inclined but I am .... so i am going to embrace it and do what i do best.

Things have been so busy these past few weeks, well to be fair things have been busy this entire year so far. Let me share with you what i have been up to lately (and some of this will help me with the journaling that i want to do for a layout that i am working on)

*I have been spending a lot of time on the web lately -mainly during my lunch hour at work.
I have been looking at this and this and this and this, oh yeah not to forget this as well.

* I have been going to the gym three times a week - which in itself is fantastic although to be honest it does take up a lot of time that i would be doing other things in.

* I had acrylic tips put on about three weeks ago and last night i decided that it is time for them to come off - I'm finding it really difficult to scrap with them....lol

* I have joined up to the Summer Time Tunic KAL - got my yarn and the pattern and just need to jump on eBay to get some knitting needles.

* This morning i also joined up to Scrapalong blog - cant wait to get started with this.

*Been listening to Joyce Meyers every morning while getting ready for work. This weeks messages - Battlefield of the Mind - has been exactly what i needed. I'm actually quit disappointed that its Friday and that this a new topic will be starting.

* I found an old CD that i made into what is effectively a "mixed tape". Really enjoyed listening to all my old favourite songs, singing along with all the words.

A lot more has been going on but i think that is enough for now....lol. Your probably bored stiff by now and this is if you even managed to get this far.

My next list - Things i need to get done this weekend. There is just so much that i want to finish.

1. I need to catch up on the laundry
2. I must catch up on the house cleaning too - getting to the point where it would be very embarrassing if someone where to drop by unannounced.
3. Finish my layout for the OLW and Pencillines challenge for this week.
4. Finish sewing my Trousers that i have been working on for weeks and weeks now.
5. I must get those knitting needles ordered or else they wont be here in time and i will have to resort to knitting with my fingers - NOT a pretty sight.
6.Got another gym class on Saturday - going to try Body Combat this time.

I just wanted to leave you with this photo. I found this on Google images so in no way is it my own but last night, before we went to bed, we came across one of the Discovery channels and they were doing an episode on Lobsters and sea life. The underwater scenes that they were showing were just so amazing (What a great God we have for creating such beauty). We were following the life of a lobster from the time it is born until it is old enough to reproduce itself and while they were still small they were in danger of being eaten by many other sea creatures - one of which is our friend the Hermit Crab. Isn't he just amazing? Just thought i would share something unusual and beautiful.

Have a great weekend.

You are beautiful

“Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even to your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.”
-Swami Sivananda (1887-1963)

Yesterday I took part in my first Body Balance class at the gym. I think it is sort of like Yoga but not a hundred percent sure. Anyways, it was definitely an eye opener! When did i get so stiff and inflexible (if that is a word...lol)? The other ladies who were there must be regulars because they were all doing the stuff that took loads of strength and balance. It was totally amazing to watch them! Inspiring. Tonight i am going to a Spinning class so doing pretty well with this exercise thing.

These are the shoes that i bought on Saturday for work. Aren't they just so cute? I was tempted to get the white pair as well but then decided against it. One pair would be difficult to explain to other half but two.......that would be impossible!
I actually got some scrapping done last night as well. I finished off my layout for Ali's Ezine from last week. She spoke about beauty. Beauty in life around you and beauty within you. I decided to do the beauty within Stu and i am very pleased with how it has turned out.
I managed to incorporate some of my new techniques that i have been learning in my Computer Tricks magazine and am really loving this book.

That's it from me today. I have a very exciting day ahead and hopefully some exciting news to share with you all tomorrow.

Have a great Wednesday everyone.

knit along

“Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.”
-Will Rogers (1879-1935), humorist, performer

I have decided to join in in my first ever KAL. We are going to be knitting this pattern , which is a free download able one, and you can find us at this blog - Summer Time Tunic Knit Along and sign up if you want to join in. It looks like a great bunch of gals who are joining so come along and play. This will only be my second knit so beginners are welcome. Below is a picture of my wool that i am using - Isn't it lovely?
Keeping it short and sweet today so have a great day everyone.

Take care.

Its still raining!

We are going into our fourth day of rain here and i am still enjoying listening to sound of it hitting the windows. I love just sitting and watching it come down to earth. To me - it is beautiful!

We had a great weekend here. I went shopping and bought some new shoes for work (forgot to take a photo of them so will show you next time), sorted out my scrap room a little, did some general house cleaning, finally got around to doing some scrapping and managed to go with my mom to the hairdressers. Not bad for a wet weekend.

Friday afternoon i received Hillsong United's latest CD so i have been listening to that all weekend. It is really worth getting. I managed to get a CJ done and posted out and i also managed to do this layout for Pencillines challenge # 31.
At first i really did not like it but as i started to add the finishing touches i liked it more and more. This is definitely a very different style for me but that's part of growing isn't it - trying new things and putting your own spin on it.

Before i get going i just wanted to tell you about these two pigeons. They sat on our fence for hours early Saturday evening. They were walking up and down the fence, bopping and dancing for one another, cooing and make all sorts of cute noises. The one at the top of the fence was making all the moves and the one at the bottom just kept taking tiny side steps further and further away from the first one. It was so funny! By the time i got my camera out hoping to catch some dancing pigeons, they were sitting like this....

It was just so funny!

Have a great Monday,

Peace.

Ta da

So I have finally found a few minutes in which i can update my blog. Life is busy at the moment but that is OK. I like being busy. I like having things to do.

This is me on Tuesday evening with my hair coloured, lady like mustache veeted off and my eyebrows waxed! lol - i feel like a woman again....note to self - need to shave legs soon.
Anyways, work is very stressful at the moment and i am thinking about finding another job. The things that keep here though are the money, which i know is not everything, and the location. It takes me 10 minutes to get there and that is if there is traffic. yesterday i had such a bad headache that by the time i got home from all my stuff i could hardly move without my head pounding. I cant be 100% certain but I'm a Little worried it was a stress headache. To be honest i still have it slightly this morning but no rest for the hardworking as i have a huge meeting today so cant even take the day off on the sick.

I did go to the gym last night. One. To try to relieve some of this stress and in doing so help my headache - That obviously did not work. Two. I wanted to do another Spinning class. This is now my third one so far and i must admit i am getting better. I have found a better position for my butt so it does not hurt so much and believe it or not i can even begin to see more definition in my calf muscles! I'm so proud!

On the creative side i have not done any scrapping in a long time. I have two circle journals that need doing and a few layouts that need finishing. I also have done no more sewing and ended up frogging the child's sweater and will have to start again!

Well, that is it for me. I am off to hang up the washing before leaving for work. I wanted to leave you with a photo that i took. This is my latest "treat" after a long hard week or in some extreme cases a long hard day.
Peace.

Dreams and Weekends

As each day passes by, I seem to be feeling more and more a desire to get into the photography business. I know that i have a lot to learn but you know what......I know that i will be good at it and i think that that will count for a lot. Because of this I have decided that i am going to take a few photography classes at Jessops and see where it goes from there.

A few weeks ago I bought myself this book from Creating Keepsakes. I love it and would totally recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning a few new tricks and skills.
Saturday afternoon, I did an impromptu photo shoot with my mom and dad and here are a few photos that i took.

I am just so pleased with how these have come out. I will definitely be spending more time on this.

While i think about it, if anyone has any tips for me on using Adobe Photo Shop i would greatly appreciate it. Normally i have been using Paint Shop Pro but this weekend my Dad installed Photo Shop for me instead and I am finding it a little more complicated than PSP.

This long weekend saw some very interesting and fun things. I have almost finished the front of my child's sweater for Knitting for Feed the Children, photo to follow as soon as front it completely finished.

I have also gone and coloured my hair a dark brown. I love how it has turned out. The hair salon at my gym is having a half price special this month on all services so i am thinking about going to get a trim and perhaps have some highlights put in for summer. Tomorrow I am going to get my eyebrows waxed so once that is done i will take some self portraits to show off my new brows and hair colour.

I haven't done any scrapping or sewing in a little while now but that is OK. I have a busy week ahead at work but next weekend i hope to get some scrapping time in.

Take everyone and have a great day.

Two Fold

Today i have two purposes for my blog....1. I want to tell you about something that has been on my mind and which i hope that some of you might be interested in helping with and 2. I want to share about a challenge that i am taking part in. Life is just so busy at the moment and i have so much to share with you all, so many thoughts to put down in black and white but for now this is what i want to share.

1. Knitting for Feed the Children - As some of you may or may not know i recently took up knitting. I bought my first lot of wool, found a free pattern on the Internet and within a few weeks i had knitting my first item. I was so excited and so proud of myself. A few weeks later i was sorting through my hobby room and came across the left overs of my wool and while looking at it i realised that i would not have enough to knit a jumper for myself or for Stuart and i don't have any children so i decided to do something for someone else with it. I hoped on the Internet and found the website above and am now halfway through knitting a sweater for a little child in Africa or one of the other countries who are in similar situations.

My question to you is this. Do you have balls of wool sitting around your house that you know you more than likely will never use? Or perhaps you have wool that you bought once upon a time but now your tastes have changed and you no longer like it? Would you just like to take part in something out of the normal and give something to those who have less than you have? Well, i have a pattern for a simple child's sweater and if you would like to take part and knit one then please let me know and i will email it on to you. If you would like to donate some of your wool but don't feel like you have got the time to actually knit a sweater then feel free to forward the wool to me and i will knit the sweater for you. Once i have finished i will email you a photo of the sweater and forward this it on to the details at the website. This is just a small way that i feel that i can reach out and help someone else and i wanted to share this with you.
Email address: georgiamudfudge@hotmail.com

2. I have decided to take part in Stacy's spring challenge. I only came across this this morning but it falls right in line with what i have been thinking and feeling for the past few days.
This is the challenge that i have accepted ( she lists 20 different things that you can do and then you pick out which ones and how many you would like to take part in)

Ok, so these five are a must - no choice about these!!
1. Throw away or hide your scale.
2. Purchase, check out or borrow a good book to read from everyday. This could be a book either about realistic exercise or healthy eating/recipes. This could also be some other kind of “self-help” book (on creativity, relationships, goals, etc.)
3. Get at least seven hours of sleep six nights a week!
4. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations
5. Refuse to gossip or add negativity to any conversation (walk away or change the subject if it is spoken to you)

The ones that i choose to include.
6. 30 minutes of sustained aerobic exercise 3-4 times per week.
7. Practice mindful eating - enjoying every bit and not just gulping it down!
8. Correct issues with portion control. In other words, don’t eat too much!
9. Eat 3 fresh, unadulterated servings of fruit/vegetables daily.
10. Do not eat refined sugar (dessert/candy) six days a week.
11. No fast food (Subway is OK)
12. Eat at least two healthy snacks each day.
13. No eating two hours before going to bed
14. Participate in a FREE day, once a week. Eat whatever you want, however you want, in any portion you want and as often as you want!!
15. Drink a total of at least 2 glasses of water between meals each day.

I think that this is just what i need. I will keep you all updated on how it goes.

That is it for now. I am hoping that by tomorrow my battery in the camera will be charged and ready for action as i have a lot more to share.

Have a great weekend all.

Good Bye my Boy

Its been almost two weeks and there is still no sign of you.

I miss you terribly.

I have cried more tears for you than i care to count.

I keep hoping that you will be in the house when i walk through the front door....but your not.

Its time to say Bye Bye my Boy - Where ever you are, I know that God is taking care of you.

You'll always have a special place in my heart.

We miss you.

Whirlwinds

That is how this past weekend has felt. Don't get me wrong - it has been all good. Just very "up in the air" and very "stressful". Let me explain...
*We have found out that YES we have managed to get a mortgage - we are so excited about this.
*We went to have a look at a house that is just round the corner from us on Saturday morning. It has been repossed and needs a lot of work but is lovely.
*We called the estate agents up straight away and put an offer in on the house.
*Once this was done the estate agent dropped a bit of a bomb on us - because it is a repossed house everything will need to be completed within 28 days! On the one hand that was great, on the other it put me into a spin as that meant we would need to come up with £1000 in 28 days.
* We spent the rest of the day going around the house trying to see what we could sell to help get this money that we needed.
* Monday morning i got a call from our financial advisor (currently helping us with the mortgage) who tells me that he is very sorry but we can not get the house we put the offer in for due to how it was built. They are having problems with the structure of the buildings and so mortgage lenders wont lend on these houses. Bad news as we loved the house but good news as i don't want to end up 3 years down the line with a house that needs complete rebuilding.
*Went to look at another house last night but this one is just not for us .....so the hunt continues!

Everything just felt like it was happening so fast! Quite mind blowing to be honest.

In other news i still have not heard anything about my extension on my visa. This is really starting to get urgent now. They have had it since October and we really need it back along with my passport and all the documents. Please will you pray that things get sped up and that it all goes through alright and SOON!

That's it for today, a lot more news to share but it will have to wait. Have a great day everyone.